Vintage Mont Blanc SlimLine

February 3, 2008

I have inherited two MontBlanc SlimLine Fountain Pens. I think they were made around 1978. Both are brushed chrome(?). One has a shiney pocket arm(?) and other is gold. As you can tell I am not well versed in fountain pen speak, but I would like more info on them and their value. My good friend was an avid fountain pen user and collector and I would love to more about them. I checked the MontBlanc website and could not find them. Can anyone help me? Thanks. Cindy

February 3, 2008

... My good friend was an avid fountain pen user and collector and I would love to more about them. I checked the MontBlanc website and could not find them. Can anyone help me? Thanks. Cindy

There is some information about the slimline on this site. It is in german though.

February 3, 2008

What little I know about the slimlines... The model M18130 (one of the slimline variants) was made from 1987 till 1995. Other models date to the mid-70's.

If you contact MB directly and give them the serial number information they can tell you a bit more about your specific pens.... at least the model and years of manufacture.

It would seem that in good shape with all the original packaging/paperwork they're worth in the low 100 range. YMMV on different models and day of the week of course.

They aren't the most popular MB variants among collectors obviously... Not what one pictures when you hear "MontBlanc" exactly is it?

Edited February 3, 2008 by OiRogers

February 3, 2008

The chrome variants you're talking about are from Montblanc's economy line from the 1970s, which was just above their school-grade Carrera line. They date from a time when MB made a full line of pens, not just luxury-grade like they do now.

They're also referred to as "Noblesse" and "SL". Many of them have steel nibs, though some do have gold (if I remember correctly, the gold ones have "585" marked on them for the percent gold content, which works out to 14k). Earlier nibs have "MB" on them, later ones have small letters spelling out "MONT BLANC". They're cartridge/converter fillers, and take standard international cartridges.

Values aren't terribly high for these pens, and I don't know of any reference website that has model information. They're worth in the $100-140 range; check on eBay in the completed auctions to find out the current values. These pens don't have any model numbers on the pens themselves, so it's hard to ask MB about the model information.

Sometime in the early eighties, the smooth brushed chrome look and trim was made more ornate, and the pens became the Noblesse Oblige line, with gold and silver plating (I believe this is what OiRogers is referring to). The Noblesse Oblige line was made through the 1980s and 1990s.

That said, they're workhorse pens. I used to have one in junior high and high school (now lost, unfortunately), and I regularly use one that I bought around 1995. The metal barrels and parts are very strong, and they're easy to keep in good condition -- just rinse water through the gripping section/nib assembly from time to time, or soak it if there's dried ink.

Edited February 3, 2008 by Kalessin